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Istanbul Eats ’

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Students of Istanbul street food will recognize the ıslama modifier on this köfte and understand its relation with the oh-so-edible “ıslak” hamburger in Taksim Square. It is a fellowship of drenched bread. But while the wet burger is drenched in secret sauce and sent to steam in the burger hammam, ıslama köfte’s wide slices of village bread are dunked in kemik suyu, or homemade beef stock, and grilled alongside the meatballs.

We asked Osman Usta, who has worked the grill at AKO Adapazarı Islama Köfte for 39 years, what the secret is. He replied, “No secrets. You just dunk [the bread] and grill it.”

The “and grill it” part of Osman’s instructions, we think, is the key to this dish. Three slices of toasted, sopping bread covered nearly a dozen bite-size köfte. The bread achieved a real crunch and melt-in-your-mouth sop that we’ve only experienced in a good French toast. At other köfte places, we’ll never look at bread – sitting there undunked and untoasted – alongside köfte the same way again.

Though the bread represents the luxury option package of the dish, and distinguishes it from more common models, checking under the hood of this köfte reveals a meatball firing on all cylinders. Juicy and handmade, grilled perfectly over a charcoal fire, these meatballs need not hide under any bread. “Forget the bread, I’d come back for the köfte alone,” said someone at the table. Which side of this dish – the ıslama bread or the köfte – plays the lead seems a subject for debate, only to be resolved by another visit to this fine spot.

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Hanging On to History: Edible Nostalgia in Samatya
no responses - Posted
05.08.18
That much of the past seems to stick to Samatya is a marvel in Istanbul, a city being rebuilt and “restored” at an alarming pace.
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Spring Surprises: Skewering the First Fruits in Istanbul
no responses - Posted
04.25.18
It was the first of April and an absolutely pristine Istanbul spring day, the kind where one can break a slight sweat walking up a hill then catch a cool breeze in a nearby patch of shade. Returning to the city from a lovely weekend on Büyükada, we were smitten with spring and wanted to indulge in its finest offerings.
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Farewell, Pando: An Istanbul Culinary Legend Passes On
no responses - Posted
04.16.18
It’s Saturday around lunchtime and business as usual in the bustling Beşiktaş Çarşı neighborhood, as crowds of mostly younger people fill the narrow streets. Down on Mumcu Bakkal Sokak, a pedestrian-only street lined with miniscule shops, a line around the block has been formed by those eager to get into one of the city’s best döner spots.
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Bağdat Ocakbaşı: Licensed to Grill
no responses - Posted
04.09.18
Istanbul’s T1 tramway is relatively pleasant if you can find a seat, but borders on unbearable if you are on your feet.
Back in 2015, we wrote about a trip we took from the line’s first stop all the way to one of its last, which lies way out in the district of Güngören. By the time the tram has made ... continue

Dose & Istos Café: Greek Revival
no responses - Posted
03.30.18
A café at its best is so much more than the sum of its parts: it’s a place where people can easily mingle, share ideas, and dertleşmek, or commiserate over their troubles, all while imbibing caffeine. At the same time, it’s a place where visitors might feel an invisible thread of common beliefs connecting them, an unspoken camaraderie, even if ... continue

Back to the Land: Urban Turks Tackle Rural Life
no responses - Posted
03.23.18
When Buket Ulukut first moved from Istanbul to a rural plot of land in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey, she was leading a double life.
“I’d be taking calls from clients in Europe while out amidst the rows of peppers and eggplants, hoping they didn’t hear the rooster crowing in the background,” says Ulukut, who worked in ... continue

Semt Pazarları, Civic Life Perfected
no responses - Posted
03.09.18
“Two kilos five liraaa! Two kilos five liraaa!” bellowed a young and exuberant vendor of tomatoes to the ongoing stream of frugal-minded shoppers making their way through the snaking Tarlabaşı Sunday Market.
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Istanbul Eats Drinks: Selendi Gülpembe Rosé 2010 no responses - Posted 06.03.11
(Editor’s Note: This post is part of our ongoing “wine talks” with sommelier and oenophile Serdar Kombe. Today he looks at a favorite Turkish rosé.)
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Lokanta Maya: Subtle Surprises 1 response - Posted 05.30.11
(Editor’s Note: This guest post is by Jennifer Hattam, an American journalist living in Beyoğlu whose personal blog can be found here.)
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Istanbul Eats Cooks: Maya’s Mücver 5 responses - Posted 05.13.11
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Hatay Has Kral Sofrası: Kebab’s Krib no responses - Posted 05.09.11
In our imaginary primetime lineup, a reality show called “Pimp My Kebab Salon” transforms a drab kebab shop into a grill palace suited to the tastes of the latter-day sultans. Surfaces are suddenly gilded in gold, fountains appear and everything is reupholstered under the watchful eye of the boisterous host ...continue

Hamsi: Catch Them While You Can? no responses - Posted 05.08.11
Things may be going from bad to worse for Istanbul fish lovers. The other day, we learned from The Atlantic the sad story of how mackerel became so overfished in the waters around Istanbul that local fishmongers had to start importing the stuff from Norway so that the city's famous ...continue

Istanbul Eats Drinks: Melen Papazkarası Reserve 3 responses - Posted 05.06.11
(Editor’s Note: We’ve recently been lucky enough to make the acquaintance of Serdar Kombe, one of Turkey’s leading oenophiles. These are exciting times for Turkish wine and Serdar has generously agreed to review wines for us. For today’s “wine chat,” Serdar chose to talk about the Melen Papazkarası Reserve, a ...continue

Özkonak: The Real Pudding Shop no responses - Posted 04.25.11
(Editor's Note: This review originally appeared on June 12, 2009.)
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Istanbul’s Top 5 Beaneries – #1: Hanımeli no responses - Posted 04.23.11
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Istanbul’s Top 5 Beaneries – #2: Hüsrev no responses - Posted 04.22.11
(Editor's Note: This week we are celebrating the white bean, that humble legume that reaches levels of incredible complexity and flavor when in the hands of Turkish cooks. Until we visited some of Istanbul’s shrines to the baked bean, we generally regarded the dish as something eaten out of a can ...continue